Byrd Wins a Three-Way Thriller at ATVA National MX in Virginia
Danville, VA - Defending ITP/Moose Racing ATVA National Motocross Champion Joe Byrd took another AMA Pro ATV win at Birch Creek MX in Danville, Virginia, but this one wasn't easy. The Honda-backed Byrd dealt with heavy pressure in both motos from Yamaha's Pat Brown and Honda-mounted Jeremy Lawson, winning the first moto over Lawson by just two tenths of a second, and the second by just a few bike lengths. The action kept the sizeable crowd on hand thrilleduntil the last second of each race.
The Birch Creek track lent itself to great racing, especially for the AMA Pro ATV class, as the riders tackled a special pro-only section featuring deep whoops and a step-up tabletop that measured nearly 120 feet in distance. Brown nailed the big jump cleanly on his YFZ450 to collect the fastest lap time under electronic transponder scoring in Saturday practice.
Byrd collected the ATVRiders.com holeshot in moto one, but Lawson and Brown were right behind him. In an amazing battle, the top three passed each other five times in the first half of the race. Brown eventually crashed in a whoop section, but Lawson stayed glued to Byrd right until the final lap. He made a last turn pass attempt but could not make it stick, finishing just two tenths of a second short of Byrd. Michael Brown took third in the moto.
Byrd snagged the ATVRiders.com holeshot again in moto two, with Pat Brown and Lawson right behind him again. Lawson passed Brown for second and moved in on Byrd. Lawson tried several passes for the next seven laps, but could not make any stick. With three laps to go, Brown took advantage of the dueling and passed Lawson back, setting his sights on Byrd. Lawson tried a pass on the final lap, but Byrd did all he could to block him. Brown ended up getting Lawson back on the final lap to take second, with Lawson third. Upstart privateer Michael Brown took fourth in the moto, which gave him third overall, his first podium of the season.
Photos by Shane HartmanPodium_Press features Top Three Overall Finishers
Holeshot_Press features Joe Byrd capturing the ATVRiders.com holeshotRace_Press features the battle that lasted most of the day, between Byrd, Lawson and Pat Brown
ITP/Moose ATVA National Motocross Championships
AMA Pro ATV Round Five
Birch Creek MX, Danville, VAApril 29, 2007
Overall
1. Joe Byrd Honda
2. Jeremy Lawson Honda
3. Michael Brown Honda
4. Pat Brown Yamaha
5. Justin Bres Yamaha
6. Chris Tait Yamaha
7. Alex Trompen Suzuki
8. Justin Bush Suzuki
Manufacturer's Cup
Honda
Suzuki
Yamaha
Kawasaki
The ITP/Moose AMA Pro ATV National Championship presented by Parts Unlimited continues in two weeks on May 12 and 13, with the Red Bud National in Buchanan Michigan.
Sanctioned by the AMA and ATVA, the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series is hosted by many of America's premier motocross facilities. The 12-round series approaches its 21st season with the Pro class newly under the wing of AMA Pro Racing. The 2006 series hosted over 8,000 entrants, making it America's largest, as well as its longest running, ATV National Motocross series. Series sponsors include title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose, and presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited. Premiere and Feature sponsors include ATV Sport, Moto Tees, Scott USA, Maxxis Tires, Elka Suspension and H-Bomb Films/Division Four. Associate sponsors include Weekend Warrior Trailers, Denton Racing, and Hinson Racing. Media partners include ATV Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com.
About AMA Racing:
AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access an on line Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom. For amateur racing information visit www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp.
About the ATVA:
The ATV Association ("ATVA") is the official sanctioning body of the amateur divisions of the ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited. The 9,000 member ATVA is the sister organization of the 260,000 member American Motorcyclist Association ("AMA"). ATV racing has experienced phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in the past two years alone, and continues to gain momentum and support, outselling off-road motorcycles annually. Each round attracts 600-700 racers who compete for bragging rights to one of 31 amateur national titles. For more information about ATVA, visit www.atvaonline.com.
About the ATVPG:
The ATVPG is comprised of the 12 individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through the production of professional and amateur championship racing events. For more information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events they produce, go to www.atvmotocross.com.